Study abroad

Study abroad photos

All of our undergraduate courses in American (US) studies include a period of study abroad. If you are
taking a three-year course, you will spend one term studying abroad, while if you are on a four-year course,
you will spend the whole of your third year abroad. Study abroad is available at
universities across the United States. After study abroad, you will be able to present future employers
with evidence of a capacity for inter-cultural understanding, self-reliance and independence.

Planning your study abroad

You will be helped and supported throughout your first and second years when you will plan your study abroad.

Essex Abroad hold information sessions for first-year students during the
autumn term and ongoing drop-in sessions for advice on the suitability of individual universities.

Our American studies course director can offer advice on your choice of modules.

Final-year students who have just returned provide first-hand accounts of the ups and downs of their experiences.

You may be able to meet with American exchange students spending their period of study abroad at Essex, to get their
personal accounts of their home campuses and the differences between the British and American education systems.

Study abroad student profile

Helen Dyson, BA Criminology and American Studies

“I have recently returned from my year abroad in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was the most incredible experience of
my life, and one which I will never forget. I loved the change of environment and I feel that to truly experience your own
culture you must first experience others to enlighten yourself, and my year abroad certainly allowed me to do this.

“I applied for study abroad with the intention of going alone, however it turned out that one of my housemates got
accepted to the same university in New Mexico and therefore we went together; this certainly made the process much less daunting.
I was in the US for the whole year which I feel was vital to my experience. The first term was really new and exciting and I
thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was not until the second term that I truly felt at home. I still regard it as my second home
today and always will.

“I spent as much time as I could on weekends and holidays travelling; I was lucky to meet four other English girls out
there who had the same attitude as myself and we made the most of the opportunity we had been given. We travelled to places such
as New York, Cancun, Chicago, Seattle, the Grand Canyon, Texas, Arizona, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I feel hugely fortunate
to have seen so much of a beautiful and diverse country during my year abroad.

“My experience abroad taught me so many things and I learnt lessons about myself and my own opinions, some of which have
changed due to the experience. My eyes were well and truly opened to new cultures and different ways of life. I have come to love
America, not as a country on the other side of the ocean but as a collection of memories and experiences. And, as an added bonus,
I was able to learn to ski in Colorado!”

frontrunners placements

frontrunners is our original placement scheme that offers students paid work opportunities on campus. You'll get on-placement training and great experience to add to your CV.

Essex Interns

Internships are an excellent way to earn money and develop a stand-out CV. Register with us for
information on paid internship opportunities with local, national and even international employers.

Student Profiles

Want to know more about American (US) Studies? Our student profiles allow you to hear students and
alumni talk about their experiences of our interdisciplinary courses and the world of possibility they open up.

Graduate profiles

Our graduates acquire an exceptionally diverse range of skills during their time at Essex and have entered a wide variety of industries. Their
stories demonstrate the versatility of an interdisciplinary qualification.